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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — to wash
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — of water
  7. bank — of a river
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bank — for money
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. spring — the season
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a music group
  15. plane — a tool
  16. shower — rain
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bank — for money
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com